Numbness after Anterior Total Hip Replacement

As you can see from this illustration there is a sensory nerve very close to where the incision is made for an anterior total hip replacement surgery. This nerve is unavoidable in some cases and studies have shown probably between 10-20% of patients have numbess of the outer (lateral) thigh after anterior total hip. This is an issue compared to posterior hips as this nerve is only in the front of the hip. The good thing is that this nerve is only for sensation, it does not affect any of the muscle function of the hip/thigh. It can be a bit annoying for some patients but very few, if any, feel that the skin numbness has made the outcome of the surgery not a success. Anterior total hip is still a great procedure with minimal invasiveness to the muscles, lower dislocation rates, and easier to measure leg lengths compared to posterior hip replacements. But, this thigh numbness is something for patients to be aware of and to realize it is completely normal. It often improves or goes away over time but some patients are left with areas of thigh numbness that are permanent unfortunately.